Seniors Round-Up: Finals, Replays and More Success for Berkshire
It has been another busy and exciting week for Berkshire’s Senior sides, with the 50+ 1st XI reaching their Plate Final, the 70+ 1st XI completing an impressive Bowl campaign as runners-up, the 60+ 1st XI recording another victory and the 50+ 2nd XI involved in a dramatic Championship Final which was ultimately ended by the weather.
The 50+ 1st XI secured their place in the Plate Final with a convincing six-wicket victory over Devon at Falkland Cricket Club. Having won the toss and elected to field, Berkshire bowled Devon out for 193, with Jason Vaughan-Davies leading the attack with 3-44, while Simon Foster and Duncan Johnson both claimed two wickets.
Berkshire’s response was controlled and confident, reaching 196-4 in just 35 overs. Mandip Sohi was the star with the bat, scoring 63 from 59 balls, including nine fours and a six, while Pete De Lange completed an unbeaten half-century, finishing 50 not out from 56 balls. The result sees Berkshire through to Finals Day at Kibworth Cricket Club, where they will face Surrey in the Plate Final on Sunday 13 September, with an 11am start.
The 70+ 1st XI also enjoyed an excellent run in the Bowl, producing an impressive semi-final victory over Norfolk. Berkshire posted 175-6 from their 45 overs, with Ian Harvey and Ronnie Brock both scoring 39, while David Brown added 27. In reply, Norfolk were bowled out for 163 in 44.2 overs, giving Berkshire a hard-fought 12-run victory.
It was a particularly pleasing result against a Norfolk side that had finished five places higher than Berkshire in the league table before booking their own place in the Bowl semi-final.
Just two days later, Berkshire faced Suffolk in the final. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Berkshire were bowled out for 148, with Ronnie Brock once again leading the way, scoring an excellent 61 from 71 balls. Suffolk reached 151-4 in 32.2 overs to win by six wickets and take the Bowl.
Although the final result was disappointing, reaching the Bowl Final represents an excellent achievement in the first season of the standalone Berkshire 70+ side. The team have successfully fulfilled their fixtures, remained competitive throughout the campaign and demonstrated plenty of potential. With two games in three days also presenting a significant fitness challenge for both sides, the final ultimately came down to Berkshire not quite putting enough runs on the board to create sufficient scoreboard pressure.
The 60+ 1st XI continued their successful season with a comfortable 34-run victory over Wiltshire at Purley on Thames. Berkshire posted an impressive 242-3 from their 45 overs, with Pav Midha and Steve Clarke both retiring not out on 50, while John Bates also made a valuable 48 retired not out.
Wiltshire were set 243 for victory and finished on 208-8 from their 45 overs. Steve Clarke completed an excellent all-round performance, following his half-century with impressive bowling figures of 4-40, while Upendra Deshpande added two wickets.
The victory was Berkshire’s fourth success of the season, following previous wins over Essex, Buckinghamshire and Western Australia, underlining another strong campaign for the 60+ 1st XI.
There was high drama for the 50+ 2nd XI, whose Championship Final against Yorkshire at Tring was abandoned after the weather intervened with the game finely poised.
Persistent poor weather had already seen the scheduled 45-over contest reduced to 30 overs, with both sides agreeing to the shortened format in an effort to get the Championship Final completed. Berkshire won the toss and elected to field, with Yorkshire making good use of the conditions to post a challenging 201 from their 30 overs.
Berkshire’s reply got off to a difficult start, with an early run-out followed by a second wicket leaving them 40-2 and well behind the required DLS rate. However, Andy Mills and Pankaj Garg produced an excellent recovery, putting together the partnership Berkshire desperately needed.
As the innings progressed, the pair accelerated the scoring despite increasingly difficult conditions and steadily closed the gap on the required rate. By the 16th over, Berkshire had moved ahead of the required DLS rate, putting themselves into a potentially winning position should the weather force an early conclusion.
Unfortunately, the conditions continued to deteriorate, with poor light eventually forcing the umpires to bring proceedings to a halt. With insufficient play completed to produce a result under the competition regulations, the Championship Final was declared a no result.
It was a frustrating conclusion for Berkshire, particularly after Mills and Garg had fought their way back from 40-2 and put the side ahead of the required rate. However, the Championship remains very much alive, with Berkshire and Yorkshire set to return to Tring next Wednesday the 9th of September, for a replay – again, weather permitting!
With Finals Day approaching, a Championship Final replay to look forward to and another successful season continuing for the Senior sides, there is still plenty to play for as the campaign reaches its conclusion.